Conversations that matter with Day 2 of the Black Enterprise Entrepreneur Summit

No need to stop with just one day of fabulousness as the Black Enterprise Women in Power Summit. And to kick off the first full day of the summit they found the perfect way to continue on the tremendous energy of night one. Yes, they brought back the speaker responsible for the fire at the end of the night of course! Day 2 of the Black Enterprise summit started off early with can’t miss segment with the phenomenal Donna Brazile. Yes we were again pulling ourselves up by our vaginas and getting ready for a big dose of real with Ms. Donna. With a pinpointed focus on where we can go and grow to next as a community Donna Brazile offered strong words in where we go from where we are now. Simply put she works both in the present and in the future, wanting the community to learn from leaders of today while also looking for the leaders of the future. That often means learning the game over and over again to avoid being left behind. Issues like being smart about cyber hygiene perfectly demonstrated her strong warning of taking lessons of today proactively instead of reactively.

To follow up on all that fire early in the morning, the Summit brought out some real heavy hitters for up close and personal conversation about success with Edith Cooper, Executive Vice President for Goldman Sachs, and Glenda McNeal, President of Enterprise Strategic Partnerships with American Express. Both women have rose to astronomical levels in corporate America, but still took time to share some of the gems of their experience. Ms. Cooper, steady, consistent, and driven at for Goldman Sachs proved that indeed risk can be some the best advancement advice, even in a very conservative environment. Her ultimate success had several critical pivot points including the decision to make an international move with her family in tow. Throughout it all she kept her personal internal growth at the heart of her decisions, ensuring departure choices she made worked to inspire and develop her. The process left a lasting impact on how she prioritizes being present and intentional in her work and pairing that intention with preparation and engagement made sure her mark. As tables were filled with other woman who supported her and were supported by her at Goldman it was clear her mark would be left not just in her company but also in the people who rose with her and even after her. This focus allowed her to build a legacy that took the time to pay attention to people, trusting in how empowering these true and honest interactions can be in building extraordinary greatness in others.

Mrs. Glenda McNeal showcased a true “I am woman, Hear me Roar” philosophy based in action not words. This passion assisted in moving her away from the typical step up to role at American Express and instead propelling her all the way to the top in an untraditional matriculation through the credit powerhouse. She offered the advice she has garnered in moving to success from the inside out. Her guide to moving up and moving out of your own way starts with believing in you. By centering who you are you can set a pace to move forward and not blocking off the potential of the future by setting boundaries of just how far you can go. Next she advised to choose courage. Ultimately balancing the demands of being a brave, daring, risk taker with having humility and being vulnerable provide lessons on both sides of the coin that are critical to conquering uncharted territory. Her final words were of encouragement to strive for intentional living where you can be deliberate not just in how you what you do but in your time. Being present in these fleeing moments in time as that is the most valuable resource of all. By women in living to their best authentic self that not just makes for personal development, but for a legacy you can fill proud of. Donna Brazile, Edith Cooper, and Glenda McNeal shined a path for not just hope and inspiration but to light a fire under us that any goal is possible when you do the work required to get there.